The Big Bomb
by LJG-NCIS
Summary: Abby and Kate have a devious plan to play a little joke on Gibbs... What will the consequences be? Definitely some KIBBS now, as well as a possible love triangle! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

1The Big Bomb

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or anything to do with it. That all belongs to DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

A/N: Please R&R!

Chapter 1: A Plan

"Do you have all the stuff Kate?" Abby asked her partner in crime.

"Yeah. Are you absolutely sure Gibbs won't kill us if we do this?"

"Of course I am! Well, I think so anyway. I'm pretty sure that nobody has ever tried

anything like this before."

"That makes me feel so reassured Abbs." Kate rolled her eyes, but Abby didn't notice. She

was too busy making sure their plan was going to work

"Glad I could help. Ok, let's do this thing."

"I'm warning you Abby. I came in at 0530 just so I could help you with your little 'plan'.

This better work or..."

"Just trust me Kate. This is you and me. It's not like Tony is going to try to pull this off.

Gibbs would probably kill him dead. Or make him partner up with Timmy for a month."

That made both the lab tech and the Special Agent chuckle.

"'Course, I bet your 'or else' would be pretty hinky though Kate." Abby added. "But

there's no time to talk. It's already 0600. Gibbs will be in soon. We have to get to work."

Even though Abby and Kate were the only people in the dark NCIS building, they still snuck

around as quietly as humanly possible. They were just a little paranoid. Of course, if you were

going to pull a practical joke like this one on someone like Gibbs, you would be paranoid too.


	2. Chapter 2

1Chapter 2: The Plan's in Motion

"Ok, everything's in place Abby. We're all set."

"Awesome. Now all we have to do is wait."

Kate hung out at her desk in the bullpen, waiting for Gibbs to arrive. Abby had gone back up to the lab to fiddle around with her computers until Gibbs came into work. At exactly 0700 Gibbs walked into the bullpen, just like he did every morning. It was nearly show-time.

Everything was perfectly planned. Kate had done a little digging the week before and discovered that next Friday Gibbs favorite coffee shop was going to be closed for the day. And it was common knowledge that since Gibbs had found this place, no other coffee shop was up to Gibbs strict standards. So Kate and Abby had conspired and decided to play a little joke on Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. This is how it was going to go down: Kate would make her won special brew of java (Everyone, including Gibbs, knew that Kate could make a mean cup of coffee. It must have come from working at Dunkin' Donuts while she was in college.) They'd out it on his desk right before he came into work that morning. Nothing unusual about that. Everyone would just think that she was sucking up to the boss. But here's the hitch: As soon as the cup of coffee ws picked up, it would pull on a transparent piece of clothes-line like string that was attached. The string would oull and launch a jumbo water balloon, soaking Gibbs.

It had all been planned so perfectly. Abby had measured trajectory as well as factoring Gibbs' height so it would hit him squarely in the chest. She had to make sure that the water bomb wouldn't burst near Gibbs computer and ruin it, or anything else of importance. But now the plan was ready for action. This was going to be a day that nobody would ever forget.

"Morning Gibbs." Kate said cheerfully as he approached. "I heard that your favorite coffee place was closed today, so I brought some of my own brew for you.

Tony, who had arrived a few minuted earlier, leaned across his desk and whispered in Kate's ear, "Good thinking Katie. Now we won't have to deal with Gibbs growling from caffeine resignations like a bear that forgot his roll of Charmin." Tony laughed at his own lame joke, then resumed doing his work.

Kate just sighed exaperatedly. Tony could be such a pain sometimes. But she realized that after today, Tony would practically worship the ground she walked on for the little stunt she was about to pull off. At least he would for a few days. The thought made her smirk. Too bad McGee has the flu, she thought. Abby would definitely had some fun with him, possibly have him be her slave for a while. The possibilities were endless.

Meanwhile, Gibbs hadn't picked up his coffee yet. He was looking at Kate. As soon as she and Tony were finished talking, she looked up and he averted his eyes quickly.

"Thanks for the coffee Kate. I have a feeling that I'm going to need a lot of it today."

"Oh, you have no idea." Kate muttered to herself.

"What was that Kate?"

"Uh, nothing. I sneezed."

"Oh. Well, bless you."

"Thanks Gibbs."

It was the moment of truth. Gibbs, sitting at his desk, reached for his coffee. Right on time, Abby hurried into the bullpen. She went and stood next to Kate. muttering darkly. "Stupid clock. The one I have in the lab is so slow. I can't believe I almost missed it."

"Well, you didn't. Shhh, he's about to pick it up."

They were both trembling in anticipation and nervousment and excitement.

Gibbs wrapped his fingers around the coffee cup. Slowly, ever so slowly (or so it seemed for Kate and Abby) Gibbs picked up the cup, then raised it to his mouth...

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Bomb Bursts

...and began to drink. Nothing happened.

Both Abby and Kate let out a breath that they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." Abby muttered darkly under her breath.

"Tell me about it," Kate whispered to Abby.

"Actually, I could go on for hours about how your brain interprets things and how it makes things seem anti-climatic."

"Learn that at college?"

"Nope. From Ducky." Abby paused. "Hold on Kate! I know why it didn't work!" She whipser-shouted. "He's sitting down! He has to be standing up to trigger the balloon!"

"It looks like we won't have to wait much longer then."

They both turned their attention to Gibbs. Slowly (they both figured that his knee must be bothering him again) he clambered up out of his chair. To Abby and Kate it seemed like the next few seconds were in intense slo mo. And then...

ZING-SPLAT! Gibbs had picked up the coffee cup Kate had given him and it immediately pulled on the transparent, flexible, strong string that was made out of a plastic-like material. The string launched the humongous water balloon that was sitting on the edge of where two cubicles met straight into Gibbs muscular chest. The force of the jumbo balloon made Gibbs stumble, taking a step back and nearly falling on his butt. Of course, as is the way of water balloons, it burst as soon as it struck him.

He was soaked to the skin, totally drenched. The look on his face was of pure astonishment, a look Kate had never seen on his face before. Abby had burst out laughing, and Tony, hearing the commotion, looked up from his computer screen, and even though he looked very confused, he started laughing hysterically too.

If Kate had been focusing her attention on them instead of Gibbs, she probably would have peed her pants from laughing at the sight of Abbs and Tony, tears streaming down their face, unable to breathe from laughing so hard at the sight of Gibbs, soaked through and through, a look of bewilderment on his face.

But she wasn't. Kate's attention was focused solely on the soaked Special Agent. And if Kate had been looking at her two friends, she would have seen the looks on their faces change from hysteria to great..terror. That's the only way to describe the look on their faces. Not that you could blame them. Because if you had seen the look on Gibbs face, you probably would have fainted right then and there. Abby and Tony were looking at Gibbs too. But not his whole body. Like Kate was. No, they were looking at his face. And it was not a pretty sight. Abby and Tony had never seen Gibbs looking as mad as he did right now. And we all know how mad Gibbs can get.

Finally Kate noticed Gibbs' expression. And she was scared. Terrified. And not too many things scare Caitlyn Todd. But angry Gibbs was one of those few things, and boy, was he angry. It didn't help matters either that she was the reason why he was so infuriated.

"Who the hell did this!" Gibbs shouted so loudly that everyone jumped back in surprise.

Kate was scared practically out of her mind. Everything had gone all wrong, and now Gibbs was mad at her and she would lose her job on top if it all. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Kate couldn't fess up. But one look at Abby's face told her otherwise. Abby looked so terrified, like a little girl in pigtails when the big bully stole her cupcake. Kate knew what she had to do.

"It-it was me Gibbs."

"Kate? You're the one that's responsible for this?"

"Yes."

"Conference room. NOW!" Gibbs stalked off towards the elevator. Kate followed his hesitantly, unsure of what was going to happen. She'd never seen him the angry before. Her little joke had gone terribly wrong.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Sad Story In The Conference Room

Gibbs was waiting for her at the elevator, holding it open. Kate joined him inside the elevator, and then it started to move up. After they had been moving for several seconds, Gibbs flipped the emergency switch. The lights went out and the elevator came to an abrupt halt, sending both agents for a tumble. Gibbs easily caught himself before he was thrown to the ground. He was used to the sudden halt. He had experienced it hundreds of times with Fornell and other people over the years when he needed to confer with them in private.

Kate, on the other hand, wasn't used to the sudden stop, and lost her balance, falling backwards. The fact that she couldn't see a thing in the darkness didn't help matters either. She fell back, swinging her arms to try to regain her balance. Just when she thought she was going to bang her head against the elevator wall, a pair of strong hands caught her around the waist, bringing her closer to him until she was leaning back into him, his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

Kate's heat was pounding. She was so close to him. She was so nervous from being so close to him, anxious because of the reason they were together in a stopped elevator, and she was cold too. Gibbs shirt had obviously been soaked, and the wetness was seeping into her now.

Finally Gibbs whispered into Kate's ear, his rough cheek rubbing against her ear. The touch left Kate tingling.

"Why Katie?"

Kate was taken aback. Gibbs no longer sounded infuriated. He sounded...curious. The thought seemed preposterous to Kate, but that's what the tone of his voice sounded like.

"Honestly Gibbs, I don't know why. I didn't think that you'd get so upset. And I knew nobody had ever played a practical joke on you before. I wanted to be the first." Kate looked at her shoes; she was afraid that her eyes would betray her feelings is she looked into his. "Are you still angry?" she asked, focusing her eyes on the outline of her left Saucony sneaker.

"I was."

"You aren't anymore?" Kate finally looked at him long enough to shoot him a questioning glance.

"Nope."

"Why not?" Gibbs held Kate's full attention now. No matter how much she tried to resist, his eyes sucked her in like whirlpools, drowning her in their depth.

"Because...no one's ever done it before, like you said. You took a chance. Everyone else thinks that I'm such a bastard that they'd either be dead or fired if they pulled a stunt like that. But not you Katie. You believed in me, and that's something that not too many people do."

"But...it was Abby's idea, not mine, She talked me into it. I almost didn't do it."

"But you _did_ do it. Abby's like a daughter to me. She practically is my daughter. Her dad died when she was six. He was a cop, and his partner betrayed him. The partner was in with a bad crowd, drug dealers. Abby's father had a successful drug bust, busting his partner's dealers. Her dad had no idea what his partner, who he trusted with his life, was involved with that." Gibbs let out a great, shaky sigh. Kate could tell that this was extremely hard for him. "It cost the partner thousands. To get revenge, he and the few that had managed to not get arrested set Abby's house on fire one night." Now Gibbs voice was changing from sadness to rage. He wasn't yelling, but the tone of his voice was a loud whisper that was more scary than if he had been screaming at the top of his lungs. "Her father was killed saving Abby, her sisters, and her mother from the fire. The mother, Gloria, and all of Abby's sisters suffered extensive damage from the flames, and they were all left permanently deaf."

"How did Abby get out with no injuries?"

"She didn't. She was just luckier than the others." Gibbs voice was more controlled and calmer now, but his face was still contorted with pure hatred. "Why do you think she has all of those tattoos?" Gibbs paused, then went on with the horrible tale. "Abby grew up without a dad. I was volunteering at the police station at the time, and the chief asked me if I wanted to work on the case of the arson. I didn't really know much about the case, but I wanted to help out their family, so I agreed. So I was around her family a lot. After the case was completed, sometimes I'd swing by just to visit. I taught Abby everything I knew. I took her fishing, sailing on a boat that I had made with my father when I was a kid, and let her help me with the boat that I was building at the time. I had always wanted a daughter. As Abby grew up, she decided that she wanted to be in law enforcement, but Metro P.D. said she couldn't because of the damage done to her lungs the night of the fire. It wasn't that bad, but their rules are really strict. She became interested in forensic science and grew to love it. She went to college as that as her major, and got her master's degree. She passed with honors. And...well, here we are today."

It was a lot for Kate to process. That explained so much. Kate's heart ached for the little girl whose whole life changed simply because her dad did his job in bringing slime to justice. "Poor Abby," Kate said softly. She had a hard time imagining the peppy, effervescent Abby as a little girl, being carried in her father's arms, covered in dust and debris, their home going up in flames behind them. She didn't want to think about it. Kate tried in vain to blink away tears. She could tell Gibbs was choked up too, trying to control his own emotions. They held onto one another for what seemes like an eternity, needing the comfort that only the other could provide.

Finally Kate came up with a very good point, Pointing to her soaking wet shirt she said, "Gibbs, we must have been in here for close to an hour. What are we going to tell Abby, Tony, and all of those guys? Not to mention the people that have needed to use the elevator for the past hour?"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Conspiring...among other things

"Now that's a good question Katie." Gibbs paused thoughtfully, then continued. "I suppose I could smack 'em all on the back of the head until the get amnesia. Or...we could tell them the truth."

"I'm not even sure they'd believe the truth. And what about Rule #12? Plus, we don't want you to get reported to Human Resources for smacking around your employees."

"I already smack them around. And I'd like to see them try to report me to Human Resources."

That thought made Gibbs and Kate chuckle. The thought of an ancient secretary with large, wire-rimmed glasses, trying to file a report against Gibbs. The whole idea was pretty funny.

They had hit a dead end. It seemed that there was no reasonable explanation of why Gibbs and Kate had been in the elevator for almost an hour and a half.

"Well, we could always lie." Gibbs suggested.

"What would we tell them?"

"That the elevator wouldn't work and we got stuck. Then it fixed itself and started working again."

"That's a good idea. But there's something else you forgot."

"And what was that Kate?"

"How my shirt got totally soaked."

"Well...we could say that you got scared and made me hole you."

"Yeah, let's say that," Kate said sarcastically. "DiNozzo would never let me live it down."

"True, true. It'd be like you were a probie all over agin, huh?"

"Yeah. And there's no way I hell I would ever got through that again."

"Sort of makes you feel sorry for McGee, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, almost."

The two became serious. They desperately needed a plan.

"How about we tell them that you were knocked unconscious, fell on top of me, and your weight pinned me down, which made me get all wet?"

A raised eyebrow from Gibbs was all the answer Kate needed.

"Ummm, yeah, that was stupid." Kate cleared her throat. "Well, you know when you're in interrogation, and you're in the zone and you just pin the perp against the wall until you scare the answers, not to mention whatever is in his intestines, out of him?"

"Yeah. Where are you going with this?"

"We can say that's what you did to me. You know, you were trying to scare the answers out of me."

"That might just work. Good job Katie. I knew there was a reason I like you," he said playfully. "I mean, all this" he said, gesturing to Kate's body, "and a head on her shoulders. Not too often you get one of those."

Kate was astonished. Gibbs was actually...flirting? With her! Her first instinct was to scream 'Aaaahhh! It's a sign of the apocalypse! Run for your lives!' But other instincts told her otherwise. So she decided to play along.

"Look who's talking, He-Man. Tough guy." She punched him playfully in the arm.

"That hurt Katie!" Gibbs put on a hurt look ad rubbed his arm.

"I take it back. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I now proclaim you a wimp!"

"You will do no suck thing Caitlin Todd." As if to prove to her that he was the boss, he grabbed her and easily pinned her against the elevator wall. Kate tried to squirm away, pressing buttons and flipping the emergency switch while doing so, but it was no use. Gibbs was too strong.

"Take it back Katie. Right now," he growled in a playfully menacing tone.

"Ok, ok, I take it back! You're not a wimp," Kate muttered while trying to wiggle her way out of Gibbs iron hold. Neither had noticed that the elevator has started to move.

"What was that Katie? I didn't hear you," teased Gibbs.

"I SAID YOU'RE NOT A WIMP!" Kate shouted.

"Hush now. There's no need for yelling. These old ears aren't as sharp as they used to be, but I'm not deaf."

"Come off it. Your hearing is better than mine." Kate said, then shoved him away.

"If you say so..." Gibbs started to say, but then paused to pin her against the wall once again, but instead of making her succumb to groveling this time, he just stood there, holding her firmly. And she didn't resist this time. And when the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open a few seconds later, Gibbs and Kate weren't the only ones about to be in for a shock.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I think you guys all know this by now, but I don't own NCIS or anything to do with it except a shirt and a hat, and I never will.

Chapter 6: WHAT THE—!

_Ding!_ To anyone else, the little bell might have sounded cheery and bright, but to Kate and Gibbs it was like it was the song played at the procession at their soon-to-be funeral.

"Guess we don't need to call anyone in to fix the elevator after all." McGee said.

"Guess not," agreed Abby.

"Are you guys sure? I mean, we could really have a serious problem here..."

"Tony," Abby cut in, "we all know you have the hots for that blonde that works at the repair company. The elevator's working so you can just–Oh My God!" There they were, Gibbs and Kate, alone together. In the elevator that had been not working for nearly two hours. Eating face. _Each other's face. _

"What's the matter Abby! What's wrong?" McGee asked frantically.

But Abby couldn't answer. She was in a state of smug shock. It had worked. Abby's plan had workd; she had gotten them together. She thought that it had been a genius plan, but then she had started to doubt herself once she saw how Gibbs blew up at Kate, and that made her feel guilty. She hadn't wanted to get Kate in trouble with "The Man." But none of that mattered now. The Plan had worked. THE PLAN HAD WORKED! Abby let out a victory whoop, which consequently made two things happen: It made McGee and Tony finally realize what was going on (McGee had been so concerned with Abby that he hadn't noticed, and Tony had been too busy daydreaming about the blonde elevator technician) and it also brought Kate and Gibbs back from whatever planet they had currently been on and back to good ol' Earth.

Gibbs and Kate stood frozen; staring at Abby, Tony, and McGee. Abby, Tony, and McGee stood frozen; staring at Gibbs and Kate. All four NCIS agents, plus one lab tech, stared dumbstruck at each other. In one, unified voice, all five proclaimed the same statement of disbelief.

"WHAT THE–!"

Then, total chaos and pandemonium broke out. Accusations were flying, and a few words of congratulationtoo. No one was exactly what was said, but we can assume that it sounded a little like this:

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Quick Gibbs, shut the elevator door!"

"Way to go Boos! What a way to get 'em tiger!"

"Yes! Am I a genius or am I a genius? This all happened because of me! I should host Love Connection! Way to go guys!"

Just like that, everything stopped–you could have heard a pin drop, literally. Gibbs broke the silence by saying, "_What_ did you just say Abby?"

Just then Abby finally realized what it was that she had just confessed to doing. A sheepish grin came over her face.

"I, uh, said that I, uh, have to...to go check to see if the results from the prints that I was running through AFIS earlier are in yet. So I better, um, go...um, do that.

And with that, Abby sped out of the bullpen, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator because: one, she definitely wasn't going to go past Gibbs and Kate to get to it and two, she didn't know what had gone on in there and she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to ride n the elevator where her best friend and her boss/closest thing she had to a father had just been...occupied.

As she was running up the stairs, she nearly knocked over Jimmy and Ducky, who were walking down the stairs.

"Honestly, Mr. Palmer, elevators these days just aren't made like they used to," Ducky was saying.

"I didn't know that they had elevators in your day Doctor Mallard."

"I suppose you're right. But I assure you that if they did have elevators back in the day, they would be well crafted and do their job properly."

That's when Abby zoomed by at speed approximately equivalent to that of a line drive hit by Sammy Sousa. It was like in the cartoons, where someone shoots by, leaving people spinning in circles behind them. That is precisely what happened to Ducky and Palmer when Abby sped by them. They spun around in a 360, awestruck.

"Good Lord," said Ducky. "I hope Abigail is all right. Let's go see Jethro and find out."

Together the Medical Examiner and his assistant proceeded down the flight of stairs. Their destination was the bullpen. Little did they know that the bullpen was now a battlefield, and they were about to be placed in the middle of a war.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- It Must Be A Sign Of The Apocalypse

Soon Ducky and Jimmy reached the bullpen. It was not a pretty sight. It seemed that McGee, Tony, Gibbs, and Kate were all having a shouting contest, and their voices combined might be loud enough to cause an avalanche in the Alps.

"What the hell were you doing with Kate in the elevator!" Tony screamed at Gibbs.

"Mind your own damn business Agent DiNozzo, or I'll kick you out on your ass and you'll need to find a new job!" Gibbs screamed just as loudly.

Meanwhile, Kate sank down to her knees and broke down and cried, which is not very Kate-like, and McGee just stood there in the midst of all the chaos looking very confused, which, at times, is very McGee-like.

Palmer and Ducky just stood next to each other on the bottom stair, mouths hanging slightly agape. Suddenly, Jimmy shouted, "EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!"

This exclamation had the same effect as Abby's confession had. Everything screeched to a hlat once again. The tense silence was soon broken by Kate, who let out a shaky sob.

Gibbs immediately rushed over to her, taking her in his arms, gently rocking back and forth.

"It's gonna be okay Katie. Hushhhhh."

With Gibbs comforting voice whispering in her ear, Kate's sobs sson stopped, except for the occasional sniffle.

"Good Lord Jethro, what happened?" Ducky finally ventured to ask.

"I'll tell you what's happened. They were stuck together in an elevator for nearly two hours, doing God knows what!" Tony said angrily.

"Good Lord," Ducky said again. "Well, it's about time."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8– New Developments

"Come again?" McGee asked, finally speaking.

"All that I'm saying is that it's about time that something like this has happened. I can tell that you two have been feeling this way for quite some time now. The looks, the smiles. It's quite romantic if you ask me. Reminds me of the time when a next-door neighbor of my youth. Rebecca Thurgood, God rest her soul, was locked in her broom closet and I.."

"Duck, what do you mean 'looks and smiles'?" Gibbs asked, interrupting Ducky's latest story.

"It is really quite self-explanatory Jethro. The way you look at each other is practically straight out of a cliche romance novel. And you smile at each other in a way that looks like two hormone-controlled teenagers."

By this time, Kate's face had turned the shade of a strawberry ripe for the picking, and even Gibbs looked as if... what! is this possible! Gibbs blushing! This is unheard of! But, alas, it is the truth. Gibbs' face was indeed tinted red, and it wasn't from yelling at some dirt bag either.

"Hold on a minute," Tony said. "Am I missing something? I've never seen any of that. You must be way out of line here Ducky..."

"No, I can assure you that I am correct." Ducky said to Tony. Then turning to Jimmy he said, "Mr, Palmer will you please bring Abigail down here. We really must hear her side of the story."

"Yes Doctor,"Jimmy said with a grin, and then headed toward the elevator, realized that he definitely did not want to ride in that elevator, tripped on his own feet, miraculously somehow managed to stay on his feet, and was able to turn himself in the direction of the stairs. When he finally made It to the stairs, he got his bearings and took the stairs two at a time in his anticipation to see Abby.

"Okay," Tony said, making everyone's focus return to the previous events. "Am I totally missing something here? I mean, how could they be making googoo eyes at each other, and I didn't even notice it!"

"That's an easy one Tony," said McGee. "That's because you were, uh, you know..."

"No, we don't know so just spit it out Probie!"

"You didn't notice it because you were too busy making googoo eyes at Kate!" McGee yelled, the immediately regretted saying anything. 'Oh God Tony is going to make my life a living Hell!' McGee thought to himself in dismay.

And with that latest remark, jaws dropped for what seemed like the thousandth time in fifteen minutes.


	9. Chapter 9

To all of my readers out there, I apologize for taking soooo long to update my fics. I've been really bogged down at school and I've been neglecting my fics lately. But, if you decide that you still want to continue reading, here's the next chapter for TBB. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Sadly, as much as I would love to, I don't own NCIS or DPB's wonderful characters.

Chapter 9- The Moment of Truth... Drumroll, Please

Everyone was standing around, processing what had just been said. Tony was staring daggers at McGee, who was looking like he wanted to shrink into his shoes and disappear. Kate was staring inquisitively at Tony, while Gibbs was looking questioningly at Ducky, who was taking in the while scene, looking not surprised in the least. It was if he had foreseen all of this.

As if on cue, down the stairs came Jimmy, dragging Abby, who looked like a little girl in pigtails who was being taken to the principal by the teacher after she had pushed another kid at recess.

"Something's hinky here Jimmy," Abby whispered.

"Yeah, well, you've started a revolution," Jimmy whispered back to her.

"What do you mea-" Abby started to say as they reached the bottom stair, but she was cut off by Gibbs.

"Get down here and explain yourself, or no more Caf-Pows!" Gibbs barked, looking as much like a Marine as he ever had in Desert Storm.

Abby stood up straight, fixed Gibbs with a withering stare (not quite as intimidating as his, of course), and bravely walked toward the "Boss man" and said, "Gibbs, no matter what you may say or do, and no matter how rough around the edges you are, and no matter how much you like to yell or smack people around on the back of their head, and no matter that you only give your people twenty minutes to do something that would normally take two hours, and no matter..." she was stopped short by a look from Gibbs that clearly said, "Get on with it...or else."

"–And no matter," Abby continued, "how good you are at staring...I know that you would never take away my Caf-Pows, because inside of that gruff Marine there is a sweet, loving, caring, romantic teddy bear. And that is why I decided to hook you up with Kate, who needs a man like you in her life. No offense," Abby said, turning to Kate, but that Mike guy you went out with a few months ago was totally disgusting. No to mention he needs to find a decent barber..." Abby trailed off. She knew that this wasn't the time to be criticizing Kate's choice of men in the past. 'Why focus on the past,' she thought, 'when the present is so exciting and the future is bound to be full of surprises?'

At Abby's last comment, Gibbs self-consciously touched his white-walled hair. He tried not to focus on the turmoil that was churning in his minda and his heart. Instead, he tried to focus all of his attention on the current star of the show, Abby, because what she was saying might have an impact to either change his future for the better– he would find out that the incident in the elevator wasn't just completely spontaneous and a one-time thing on Kate's part, that she actually mirrored the feeling that he had held in his heart for her for so long; or for the worse–rejection. He looked to Kate to see her reaction. It was the moment of truth.


	10. Chapter 10

Once again, I apologize for taking such a long time to update, and also that this is a short chapter. Lately I've been swamped at schools, cramming for finals, you know the drill. My fics were kind of pushed off to the side, but now I should be able to update more regularly. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I don't have anything to do with NCIS. All that belongs to DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

Chapter 10: Shades of Green- Toads and Jealousy

Kate was stunned at Abby's words. And no, not the part about her ex-boyfriend, Mike. Abby was right about him. He _was_ disgusting. Not very keen on personal hygiene. But he could have been Prince Charming, and Kate wouldn't have found him the least bit appealing. There was only one "handsome prince" for her, and yes, at times he could act like a grumpy old toad. Both herself and Gibbs were in a state of shock (actually the whole team was, but at the moment they were oblivious to all but each other). Then, breaking the silence, Tony jumped in.

"Hold on there Abby. All I'm hearing is 'oh Gibbs, he's so great. Wonderful, wonderful, Gibbs.' Why don't you all leave so that I can talk to 'Jethro' alone?"

Still stunned, Abby, Ducky, Kate, and Palmer filed out of the room, leaving Tony and Gibbs alone.

After they had left, Tony turned to Gibbs, throwing all sensibility and logical thinking out of the window. "You may be a good team leader and agent and Marine, yada yada yada, but you've had three wives for God's sake!" Tony's look softened, and his voice became gentler. "I just don't want her to end up with a broken heart. Kate deserves better than that."

"Damn it DiNozzo! I know that! She deserves the best, and I'm anything but that. I'm just some grumpy old bastard. I don't know why I'm telling you this DiNozzo, but my marriages were based solely on physical attraction. But with Kate, it's deeper than that. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

And to that Tony replied, "Neither have I."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with NCIS in any way, shape or form. That all belongs to DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

Chapter 11: Cupid's bow in the hands of a certain tattooed forensic technician of the Goth persuasion

After the rest of the crew had retreated to the bullpen in order to give Gibbs and Tony some privacy, Kate and Abby separated themselves from Jimmy and Ducky so they could talk in private.

"Abby," Kate questioned, half curiously, half upset from the ordeal she had just endured, "what's going on?"

"Life," Abby replied, grinning. "You know, the circle of life. Birds chirping, bees buzzing." She gave Kate a roguish wink. "All I'm doing is...decreasing the circumference of that circle, speeding up the process. It's purely a mathematical algorithm correlating with a...science experiment. Because, as you know Kate, I am a scientist. And science is fun!"

"Come on Abs. I'm serious. Since you have your little 'mathematical equation' all figured out, why don't you tell me what's going to happen?"

"I'm serious too Kate! You guys are like, perfect for each other. And don't tell me you don't have the hots for him. I can tell Kate. As for what's gonna happen, we'll just have to wait and see."

"Abs, I think you've had a few too many Caf-Pows..."

"Not any more than the usual. And come on Kate, no matter how much you deny it, I know the truth. And I also know..." Abby dropped her voice to a whisper, "that redheads are a thing of the past for Gibbs, if you get my drift." Abby gave Kate another hearty wink and knowing smile.

"Okay Abby, let's pretend you're right. It would never work out. Think fo the age difference. And the fact that our personalities are completely different and–"

"Kate, I have dated guys waaay older than Gibbs, and not even as good-looking as our very own silver-haired fox. Age doesn't matter between two people, as long as they love each other. Plus, it is a proven scientific fact that opposites attract. Yin and yang, the north and south poles on a magnet, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James..."

"Abs," Kate said, exasperated.

"I'm dead serious Kate! I mean, come on. There's Sandra Bullock–been in countless chick flicks, very amiable, clean-cut. And then there's Jesse James–biker tough guy look, star of Monster Garage, been married a bunch of times before, not unlike someone else we know...and yet they're very happy together, at least according to tabloids and Dr. Phil."

"Abby..." Kate said again.

"But the point is, Kate, that despite the differences, you guys are still perfect for each other. Like Romeo and Juliet, Nancy and Ronald Reagan, Henry the VIII and his wife...wives. Okay, so that one was a bad example." Abby the grew serious. "Kate, you're my friend. I would never steer you wrong. I've been the driver of this certain vehicle for the past few hours. Now it's time for you to take the wheel. Plus," she added, becoming her regular Abby self, "being the driver on a road trip is a major turn off for me, and I've got a hot date tonight. So I can't afford to hold on to the wheel anymore."

"Hold on Abs," Kate intervened. "I though you had a date with McGee tonight?"

"I do, Kate! McGee can be quite the hot tamale!"

The two friends laughed. "You know Abs, I don't know what I'd do without you. Thanks," Kate said, hugging her tattooed, Gothic friend.

"Anytime Kate. You're my numero uno amigo. But enough of all this lovey-dovey stuff with me, save it for Gibbs!"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with NCIS in any way, shape or form. That all belongs to Sir DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

Chapter 12: Doubts

Gibbs wasn't completely shocked by Tony's words, but he was a little taken aback. He wasn't blind or heading that way, contrary to popular belief. At least, not blind enough not to notice Tony and Kate's incessant flirting and what Gibbs took to be sibling-like bickering. But never had Gibbs suspected that Tony's feelings for Kate ran that deep. 'I just assumed it was another one of his hormone-driven infatuations. Damn it, I know better than to assume things! And now look where it's landed me. What the hell was I thinking in the elevator? How could I even for the slightest second entertain the thought that she might be interested in a grumpy old bastard like me?' The pessimistic thoughts flowed ceaselessly through Gibbs's silver-mopped head. But still, a tony, optimistic, hopeful voice somewhere in the corner of his subconscious made its plea to the jury...

'But she kissed you back..."

Abby's not-so-little pep talk had boosted Kate's confidence, but doubts kept running through her mind, despite efforts to restrain them. 'What about Rule 12? Gibbs would never go against his own rules, no matter how much he breaks other people's. Maybe we shouldn't go against his rule anyway. After all, he said himself, "Romance between agents Kate, it never works." Was he talking from experience? Had what he said to me been meant as a warning of sorts? Besides, what had happened in the elevator was probably just a fluke event. He must have been delusional, an after-effect of no morning coffee. Even if he had been completely in control of himself in the elevator, how could I do that to Tony? Tony...I never knew, never suspected. God, what am I going to do?' As much as Kate's mind was focused on the negative, the doubts, her heart hadn't yet given up yet. Not by a long shot. 'Get a hold of yourself. Forget about what might go wrong. You love him. That's all that really matters. You love him.'

Tony's mind was reeling. He didn't know what to do. What he had said to Gibbs was true, he had never before felt what he felt for Kate. But what was he going to do about it? It's not as if he could go against Gibbs, or else he would seriously regret it. 'On second thought,' he thought, 'if I 'stole' Kate from Gibbs, I would probably wouldn't live long enough to regret anything.' Tony's mind was in turmoil. Whenever he's confused, unsure if what to do, or just in the mood to bug Kate, a movie emerges in his mind. This was the case at the moment. "Sabrina," he said quietly to himself. "The 1954 version, not the new one. Humphrey Bogart. William Holden. Audrey Hepburn. Mmm did she look fine! A girl loves this younger guy, but she can't have him. She goes to Paris and come back looking stunning. The young guy wants her. She still loves him, but she also loves the older guy that's also interested in her. In the end, she goes for the older guy. God, I hope that's not the case with Kate...


End file.
